Many of us Europeans are aware of great artists from France, Spain, Italy, Holland, Great Britain etc. and we don’t tend to know much about art from the eastern reaches of the continent. Consequently, here are some definitives from Poland, issued in 1971, featuring enchanting portraits of women by Polish artists. They are, by value: 50 grosz, Woman with book, by Titus Czyzewski (1880-1945); 60 grosz, Girl with chrysanthemums, by Olga Boznanska (1865-1940); 40 grosz, Mrs. Fedorowicz by Witold Pruszkowski (1846-1896); 2,5 zloty, Girl with red dress, by Jozef Pankiewicz (1866-1940); 3,4 zloty, Nude, by Leon Chwistek (1884-1944); 4,5 zloty, Strange Garden, by Jozef Mehoffer (1869-1946); 5 zloty, Artist’s Wife with White Hat by Zbigniew Pronaszko (1885-1958); and 7+1 zloty, “Nude”, by Wojciech Weiss (1875-1950).
Unfortunately we fell victim to a hacker back in March this year, which resulted in enormous problems for the Freestampmagazine service we hope our readers enjoy. I’m pleased to announce we’re up and running again so please keep a look out for our first article in six months. Happy collecting.
Here we have a very small selection of stamp sheets from Great Britain recently added to PostBeeld’s vast stock. Please visit PostBeeld’s website for a more comprehensive view of many more.
Great Britain 2012
In 2012 Great Britain hosted the Olympic Games, previously held in London in 1948. The sheet features sports contested at the event.
Great Britain 2020
The British writer and physician Sir Arthur Ignatius Conan Doyle (1859-1930) created the character Sherlock Holmes in 1887 for A Study in Scarlet, the first of four novels and fifty-six short stories about Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. The Sherlock Holmes stories are milestones in the field of crime fiction. The stamps above depict scenes from the television series “Sherlock” starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Amanda Abbington, Martin Freeman, Una Stubbs and Rupert Graves.
Great Britain 2019
Above is a 2019 Collectors’ Sheet with scenes and characters from the cult films/series “Star Trek”.
Great Britain 2020
And a Star Trek sheet from 2020 featuring, among others, iconic characters such as Captain James Kirk, Spock, Leonard McCoy, Scotty, Kathryn Janeway, Benjamin Sisko, Kira, Gabriel Lorca and Jean-Luc Picard.
Great Britain 2020
Musicians Brian May, Freddie Mercury, John Deacon and Roger Taylor = Queen, one of the most popular bands of all time. In 2020 Great Britain issued this commemorative stamp sheet featuring photos of the band and some of their album covers.
Great Britain 2019
The ever-popular Marvel franchise was celebrated with this 2019 sheet showing various heroes and villains from the comic books.
Great Britain 2018
And what can you say about the phenomenal worldwide success of the books and films whose main character, the schoolboy Harry Potter gets involved in all sorts of wizardry. The stamp sheet here is from 2018.
Great Britain 1978
And above is an example of the first miniature stamp sheet issued by Great Britain. Although the date shown on the sheet says 1980, it was issued in 1978 and linked to the London 1980 International Stamp Exhibition. It contains the four stamps of the 1978 “British Architecture – Historic Buildings” set. Both the miniature sheet and set were produced in 1978. The stamps show: 9p Tower of London; 10 1/2p Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh; 11p Caernarvon Castle, Wales; and 13p Hampton Court Palace in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames.
There were so many great stamps issued by France last year I find it difficult to make a small selection for this article!
Above and below: could these be the first postage stamps depicting electric bicycles? Please enlighten me if this is not the case.
La Poste has partnered with the Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux (League for the Protection of Birds) for this 4th edition of the philatelic series “The Earth and Men” in order to warn of the consequences of light pollution on wildlife; and some creatures so threatened are featured on this stamp sheet. The most frequent impact concerns insects and in particular moths, including the Petit paon de nuit (Little Peacock Moth). They might be attracted to a light source, mistaking it for the moon, and end up dying of exhaustion or being eaten by a predator. Light pollution also impacts night owls. The Tawny Owl can only hunt in total darkness. Flying mammals, including the European Barbastelle bat, which normally hunt nocturnally, can now be affected by the presence of artificial light. Thus both species have a restricted hunting time and a desynchronisation with the activity peaks of the animals on which they feed (small rodents, insects). The Barau Petrel, a species endemic to Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean, is particularly affected during the first flight of the young in April. The young birds confuse the lighting of the island with the reflection of the stars on the sea. They then fall to the ground and become easy prey for their predators. This situation threatens the sustainability of the species.
The great Frenchman Gustave Eiffel died in 1923 and La Poste commemorateed the 100th anniversary of his death with some fine stamps. The tower built for the Universal Exhibition of 1889 established his international reputation, though he was responsible for many other important engineering feats before designing the tower that dominates the horizon in Paris. This gigantic monument, 300 meters high, which required more than 6,300 tons of iron, was built on the Champ-de-Mars between 1887 and 1889 by 250 workers. Officially inaugurated on March 31, 1889, the Eiffel Tower initially aroused controversy before becoming the symbol of Paris, then of France.
The script at the top of this stamp: “Ami, entends-tu le vol noir des corbeaux sur nos plaines” (Friend, do you hear the dark flight of the crows over our plains) shows the opening words of the Chant des Partisans (Song of the Partisans). The stamp was issued to commemorate the 80th anniversary of what became a rallying song and anthem of the French Resistance during the occupation of France by Nazi Germany in World War II. It was nicknamed the Marseillaise of the Resistance. On May 17 1943 its whistled melody became a call sign for a Free France after being broadcast on radio by the BBC.
La Poste issued this stamp sheet entitled “Mountain Flowers” in its Fauna and Flora series. The rare plants shown here, found in France only in its various mountainous regions are: Gizia saxifrage (Saxifraga giziana); Alpine columbine (Aquilegia alpina); Jasione (Jasione crispa sub-species arvernensis); and the Pyrenean lily (Lilium pyrenaicum).
Commander René Mouchotte (1914-1943), French fighter pilot of the Second World War, is commemorated on this airmail stamp. August 27, 2023 was the 80th anniversary of Commandant René Mouchotte’s death. A highly capable pilot and leader, Mouchotte was the first non-Commonwealth aviator to command an RAF squadron. The stamp shows a portrait of René Mouchotte with, to his right, two views of the Spitfire, his emblematic plane, with its roundel of Britain’s Royal Air Force. René Mouchotte also had the Cross of Lorraine badge (badge of the Free French Air Force) painted on his plane. He was one of the most famous and admired French fighter pilots of World War II. Mouchotte’s final posting was to 341 Free French Squadron at RAF Biggin Hill. While commanding 341 Squadron, he was shot down and killed in combat with a Focke Wulf 190 on the first daylight raid to Blockhaus d’Éperlecques in the Pas de Calais, France, on August 27, 1943.
This year, 2024, is the Year of the Wood Dragon and the Chinese New Year, which begins on February 10th, will be celebrated in dozens of countries across the World. The dragon is considered to be one of the luckiest and most powerful animals in the Chinese 12-year zodiac cycle. There are five types of Dragons, each with different characteristics: In Chinese element theory, each zodiac sign is associated with one of five elements: Gold (Metal), Wood, Water, Fire, or Earth, which means that a Wood Dragon, for example, comes once in a 60-year cycle.
The Netherlands 2024
We begin with a quite unique take on Chinese New Year stamps with the above minisheet from The Netherlands which incorporates a 2023 “Farewell to the Year of the Rabbit” stamp with 2024’s “Welcome to the Year of the Wood Dragon”. Then below, an attractive 10-stamp sheet from Sint Maarten, which occupies part of an island in the Lesser Antillese islands group in the Caribbean Sea and sits within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
Sint Maarten 2024Åland 2023
Martin Mörck, a Norwegian artist and engraver of postage stamps and banknotes, produced the artwork for this very attractive stamp sheet issued by Åland Post.
United Nations 2024
On 19 January 2024, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) celebrated the Year of the Dragon with the above special 10-stamp sheet.
Japan 1964
Then we go back 60 years to 1964 to see two of the previous Wood Dragon stamp issues, above from Japan and below from the Japanese island chain Ryukyu.
In 2023 Great Britain’s Royal Mail issued various philatelic items to commemorate the remarkable 70-year career of the Welsh-born singer Dame Shirley Bassey. Shown above is the cover of a Royal Mail Prestige Stamp Book, an informative 24-page publication written by British music journalist and broadcaster Lucy O’Brien. The book tells the story of Dame Shirley Bassey’s journey from humble beginnings to global superstar. It’s packed with photography, quotes and stories. The Prestige Stamp Book includes three pages incorporating the eight main stamps and the Miniature Sheet stamps in the issue. A fourth stamp pane is unique to the stamp issue and is the very first Prestige Stamp Book pane to include definitive stamps with the portrait of King Charles III.
Great Britain 2023
Here we have a miniature sheet that incorporates two First Class and two £2.00 stamps with a beautiful selection of informal photographs taken of Dame Shirley Bassey during recording and rehearsal sessions throughout her career. The 1978 First Class stamp pictures Shirley Bassey rehearsing before a concert at the Royal Albert Hall to celebrate her 25 years in showbusiness; that from 1962 was taken from a rehearsal for a performance at London’s Talk of the Town theatre; the 1961 £2.00 shows Bassey in a recording studio; and the 2009 £2.00 is from a photograph taken at Grouse Lodge Studios, Ireland.
Staff at Freestampmagazine and PostBeeld wish our readers and buying customers a very happy time over the Christmas and New Year period. Christmas (from the Anglo-Saxon: Cristesmæsse, meaning “Christ’s Mass”) is the annual festival that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, observed most commonly on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. Each year we show examples of Christmas stamps from various countries. Some 2023 stamp offerings are shown here.
USA 2023
I’m sure many people will recognise the subject of the four USA stamps above – Snowglobes, the objects you shake and you get the effect of snow fallin The stamps feature winter scenes including a snowman, Father Christmas about to go down a chimney and a Christmas tree.
Sweden 2023
Sweden’s postnord has produced the above collector’s sheet of stamps, the theme being Christmas in Santa’s village.
San Marino 2023
The 2023 stamp issued by San Marino and dedicated to Christmas reproduces the famous “Virgin with Child and Angels” (“Madonna of the Magnificat”) by the Renaissance painter Filipepi Alessandro, known as Botticelli. His originality and sophisticated elegance have made the artist famous throughout the centuries, and his figures embody an ideal of beauty that remains highly appreciated to this day.
Luxemburg 2023
Luxemburg’s 2023 Christmas stamps are surprising, to say the least: a melting snowman and a sweating gingerbread man. While the designs by graffiti artist Alain Welter may seem somewhat humourous, the illustrations also encourage reflection on the consequences of climate change.
Great Britain 2023
The Christmas 2023 Miniature Sheet from Great Britain’s Royal Mail feature popular lyrics from five traditional Christmas carols set against vibrant illustrations inspired by the stories behind these popular festive songs. The stamps were created for Royal Mail by print specialist Tom Duxbury. They are set against an illustration of a shepherd watching his sheep.
Aland 2023
The theme for the two Åland 2023 Christmas stamps is “Greetings from the Islands of Peace”. The peace dove being a familiar peace symbol. The designation “Julpost” means that the stamp can be used as a more favourable postage on Christmas cards to addressees in Åland and Finland for a limited period in November and December every year. The Julpost stamps can be used for franking at other times of the year as well.
Netherlands 2023
The 10 Christmas stamps for 2023 from The Netherlands were designed by illustrator Linde Faas. Their attractive design takes you to the far north. You will discover surprising details on every stamp. Just look closely at the steam above the tea glass or what sits next to the owl on the tree branch!
Germany 2023
This Christmas stamp from Germany proclaims “The message of the angels: ‘The Saviour is born to you today.'”
Austria 2023
A child is born, a baroque depiction of the Holy Family with the newborn baby Jesus adorns this 2023 Austrian Christmas stamp. The painting of the Holy Family can be seen in Waldhausen parish church in Strudengau, Austria.
PostBeeld has, in the last few weeks, acquired an enormous amount of stamps from private collections and is in the process of adding the items to its already incredibly vast and varied stock. This will provide a great opportunity for PostBeeld’s customers to possibly find a stamp that fits their collection or topic. I fully recommend frequent visits to the postbeeld.com and freestampcatalogue.com websites to view the daily additions to stock and the weekly discount offers. There follows a brief look at a small selection of the added stamps:
Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen 1965
In 1965 the Mutawakkilite Kingdom of Yemen (now the Republic of Yemen) issued this set of bird stamps with the portrait of the last king, Muhammad Al-Badr, in the top right corner. In order of value the birds are: 1/4B the Yemen linnet (Acanthis Yemenensis); 1/2B Eurasian hoopoe (Upupa epops); 1/8B hamerkop (Scopus umbretta); 4B Arabian woodpecker (Dendrocopus dorae); and 6B the violet-backed starling (Cinnyricinclus leucogaster).
Guinea Bissau 2022
Above and below just two of a great amount of beautifully-illustrated fauna stamp sheets from Guinea Bissau added to stock. Four species of kingfishers are seen above with, under, a selection of aquatic birds found in Guinea Bissau.
Guinea Bissau 2022Bahamas 2006
Then, in 2006, Bahamas issued this “BirdLife International” stamp sheet featuring a nuthatch species (Sitta insularis) endemic to the pine forests, known as pineyards, of Grand Bahama island in the Bahamas.
St. Helena 2007
The remote volcanic tropical island of St. Helena, a British overseas territory located in the South Atlantic Ocean, produced the above sea bird stamps in 2007. How remote you may ask? Well, lying almost 2,000km west of south-west Africa and 4,000 km east of Rio de Janeiro in South America, Britain thought it was a safe enough place to exile Napoleon Bonaparte after the battle of Waterloo. in order of value the stamps show: 15p A Black Noddy (Annous minutus); 30p The Madeiran Storm Petrel (Oceanodroma castro); 50p A Masked Booby (Sula dactylatra); and £2 the Sooty Tern (Sterna fuscata). These are also “BirdLife International” stamps.
Kiribati 2005
More stamps seen here from the “BirdLife International” series, issued by Kiribati in 2005 and depicting seabirds of Kiribati and breeding birds of Christmas Island.
Canada 2016
Then we have a 5-stamp souvenir sheet from Canada (2016). The birds featured here are the Rock ptarmigan – the official bird for the Canadian territory of Nunavut; the Great-horned owl – provincial bird of Alberta; the Common raven – official bird of the territory of Yukon; the Puffin – official provincial bird of Newfoundland and Labrador; and the Sharp-tailed grouse – provincial bird of Saskatchewan.
Don’t forget to check out PostBeeld’s websites for a comprehensive view of the latest additions to stock.
The two Austrian stamps in this article feature the Universalmuseum Joanneum in Graz, Austria, considered the biggest of its kind in Central Europe, comprising nine buildings of historic interest available for its five million items in 20 collections. The Kunsthaus’s futuristic design has likened it to a baby hippo, sea slug, porcupine, whale and a “Friendly Alien”. The building seen here was completed and opened in 2003. The museum was founded in 1811 by Archduke Johann of Austria (1782-1859) who, jointly with the estates of Styria, set up the Joanneum as an ‘inner Austrian national museum’. The stamps were issued to commemorate the Museum’s 200th anniversary.
In 2018 the United Nations Postal Administration issued a beautifully-illustrated set of stamps to celebrate 25 years of its Endangered Species series featuring 12 threatened flora and fauna species.
United Nations Vienna 2018
The €0.80 U.N. Vienna stamps here above show the leafless fat-stemmed succulent plant Hoodia (Hoodia pilifera); a frog native to Madagascar, the Malagasy painted Mantella (Mantella madagascariensis); an Assam roofed turtle (Pangshura sylhetensis) found in parts of India and Bangladesh; and a zebra seahorse (Hippocampus zebra), found only in waters near Australia.
United Nations New York 2018
The four $1.15 stamps for use from the U.N. New York stamps feature the attractive red-crested Turaco (Tauraco erythrolophus), a fruit-eating bird found in western Angola; the Andean hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus nationi), an armadillo native to Bolivia and northern Chile; a Luristan newt (Neurergus kaiseri), a salamander from the southern Zagros Mountain region in Iran; and the Goldenseal (Hydrastis canadensis), a perennial herb native to southeastern Canada and the eastern United States.
United Nations Geneva 2018
The CHF 1.50 U.N. Geneva stamps depict the Saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), found on the open dry steppe grasslands and semi-arid deserts of central Asia; the succulent sesame (Uncarina grandidieri), a bright-yellow flower from Madagascar; the striking Cuban land snail (Polymita picta); and the silky shark (Carcharhinus falciformis), named for its smooth skin.
